Easy Take Out Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

This is THE ONLY SALT AND PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS recipe you will EVER need!

I have worked on this salt and pepper chicken wings recipe for YEARS, Literally years, until I finally discovered the secret ingredient to make this BETTER THAN TAKEOUT Salt and Pepper chicken wing. Do you ever go out and try to taste all the ingredients of a dish and then try to figure it out at home ? Many restaurants use MSG, but the real secret isn't plain ole MSG. If you really are curious what it could be.. read on!

BUT...What good is a BETTER THAN TAKOUT salt and pepper chicken wings recipe if you can't have OPTIONS?

In this recipe I will share THREE METHODS to cook these salt and pepper chicken wings, from Air Fryer, to Oven to Deep Frying. I love each method for it's own reasons. Air Frying is great because it is healthier, the oil smell doesn't take over my house, but it does have a softer crunch. The oven is great for large batches, but it does take much longer than the air fryer and deep frying. Then you have deep frying which takes the least amount of time, and provides the best crunch, but well.. it's deep fried. So many options, which one will you choose?

The SECRET, or NOT so secret ingredient to these salt and pepper chicken wings is...

The secret to my salt and pepper chicken wings is.. CHICKEN POWDER!! I will probably get inquiries if chicken powder can be substituted for anything, and while i do love to offer alternate ingredients, This one absolutely can not be substituted. I have made some good wings without it, however to me the closest recipe to takeout needs this chicken powder. This entire time I assumed the little yellow granules were garlic but it is actually chicken powder! If you absolutely can not source this powder, it will still make a really good wing, but you may need to add a little but more salt before serving.

Every Air Fryer is Different.

I have 2 Air fryers, and one is 1400 watts, and one is 900 watts. Both air fryers cook chicken very well. However, my stronger air fryer does cook a few minutes faster compared to my lower powered one. I would recommend checking at 20 minutes the internal temp with a meat probe. You might need another 5 mins at 400 to finish the cook or brown up the chicken some more.

If you LOVE this Salt and Pepper Chicken, here are some other Chicken recipes you might like. Also, check out these other Easy Air Fryer recipes:

• Asian Chicken
• Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken
• Garlic Parm Wings

Equipment

• 1 Air Fryer or Oven or Pan for Deep Frying **Oven Bake at 400 for 45 min to 1 hour depending on wing size, Flip after 25-30 minutes once browned**
• Pan ** Deep fry wings at 350 for 8-12 minutes. I used my wok that had a lot of space for the wings so mine were cooked at the 8 minute mark. Try not to crowd the pan if possible and cook in small batches to give the wings space to cook evenly**

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• 2 lbs Chicken Wings
• ¼ cup Cooking Wine
• 1 tbsp Garlic (3 cloves minced)
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce

Chicken Coating

• 1 cup Potato Starch
• ½ tsp Garlic Salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper
• ½ tsp Onion Powder
• Cooking Oil Spray

Onion Topping

• ½ tbsp Butter
• ½ Onion
• 1 tbsp Garlic (2-3 cloves)
• ½ tsp Garlic salt
• ½ tsp Chicken Powder
• ½ tsp white pepper

Dry Seasonings & Garnish

• 1 tsp Chicken Powder
• 1 tsp White Pepper
• ½ tsp Garlic Salt
• 2 Green Onions
• 2-3 Jalapenos, or Serranos, or Substitute ½ Bell Pepper

Instructions

Chicken Marinade

• Clean and pat dry your wings. Combine the following ingredients into a bowl and marinade 20 minutes or up to overnight. (2 lbs Chicken Wings, ¼ cup Cooking Wine, 1 tablespoon Garlic (3 cloves minced), ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ,1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon soy sauce)

Chicken Coating

• While the chicken is marinating, prepare the dry batter mixture by combining the following ingredients into a plate , bowl or tray : 1 cup Potato Starch, ½ teaspoon Garlic Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
• Coat the chicken on both sides and shake off the excess

Air Fryer Cooking Instructions

• Preheat your air fryer to 380F for 5 minutes. If you are using a wire cooking rack insert it before preheating.
• Spray your cooking rack with oil (If using rack), and put your wings into the air fryer. Spray wings with oil spray. Air Fry your wings at 380F for 20 minutes and flip halfway.
• If your wings are not cooking, or golden brown enough, you can continue cooking for up to another 5 minutes at 400F.

Oven Cooking Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400F.
• Place your wings onto a baking rack for best results. Bake at 400F for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on your wing size. Flip at the 25-30 minute mark once it has browned.

Deep Fry Cooking Instructions

• Deep fry wings at 350 for 8-12 minutes. I used my wok that had a lot of space for the wings so mine were cooked at the 8 minute mark. Try not to crowd the pan if possible and cook in small batches to give the wings space to cook evenly.

Onion Topping

• While the wings are cooking prepare and cut the white onion and peppers for topping, mince garlic, and slice the green onion for garnish. (½ Onion, 1 tablespoon Garlic (2-3 cloves), 2 Green Onions, 2-3 Jalapenos, or Serranos, or Substitute ½ Bell Pepper)
• Melt butter in a pan on medium. (½ tablespoon Butter)
• Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook until aromatic, then add the following ingredients and cook for a few minutes: ½ Onion, 1 tablespoon Garlic (2-3 cloves), ½ teaspoon Garlic salt, ½ teaspoon Chicken Powder, ½ teaspoon white pepper

Dry Seasonings & Garnish

• Once the chicken is fully cooked, season the chicken with the ingredients below: (1 teaspoon Chicken Powder, 1 teaspoon White Pepper, ½ teaspoon Garlic Salt)
• Toss together the chicken with the seasonings, and mix in the cooked onion mix and top with fresh peppers and green onions. (2-3 Jalapenos, or Serranos, or Substitute ½ Bell Pepper, 2 Green Onions)
• Enjoy!

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